The present invention relates to a method and mechanism for recovering an ink-jetting head and a cap utilized for sucking nozzles.
To recover the ink-jetting head, there have been proposed the following technologies, as a method for discharging air bubbles and dusts remained in an ink-jetting head.
(The First Technology)
Head nozzle holes of an ink-jetting head emit ink-particles directly sticking on a recording sheet. A lip portion of the cap, utilized for sucking nozzles, covers the surface equipped with the head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface. Then, air bubbles and dusts are discharged from the head nozzle holes by depressurizing the air in the space covered with the lip portion, and thereby, the ink-jetting, head is recovered. The electro-magnetic leak valve is equipped in midway of a pipeline between the cap and the pump to absorb the air for the depressurizing operation.
(The Second Technology)
In the ink-jetting head, which emits ink-particles directly sticking on a recording sheet, the cap, utilized for sucking nozzles, always and air-tightly covers the surface equipped with head nozzle holes, from which ink-particles are emitted, or its peripheral surface to discharge air bubbles and dusts from the head nozzle holes by depressurizing the air at the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface. The electro-magnetic leak valve, employed for the air depressurizing operation, is provided in the cap.
(The Third Technology)
The water repellent finishing is applied for the inner surface of the cap utilized for sucking nozzles, and/or the ink-absorbing member is provided in the cap.
When employing the first technology and/or the second technology, however, it is difficult to clean up ink-particles and dusts stuck on the nozzle plate of the ink-jetting head. Further, it is the problem in the third technology that the ink-absorbing member is necessary to be provided and the effect of the water repellent finishing for the cap is liable to deteriorate in a long time usage.
To overcome the abovementioned drawbacks in conventional mechanisms for recovering the ink-jetting head and conventional caps utilized for sucking nozzles, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and a mechanism for recovering an ink-jetting head, which could effectively discharge ink-particles stuck on the surface of nozzle holes and its peripheral surface to recover the ink-jetting head.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cap utilized for sucking nozzles, which makes it possible to surely discharge air-bubbles, dusts, etc., remaining in the ink-jetting head, and ink-particles stuck on the surface of nozzle holes and its peripheral surface to surely recover the ink-jetting head.
Accordingly, to overcome the cited shortcomings, the abovementioned objects of the present invention can be attained by mechanisms, ink-jet printers and caps described as follow.
(1) A mechanism for recovering an ink-jetting head, comprising: a cap to cover at least a nozzle hole of the ink-jetting head; a cap movement mechanism to move the cap relative to a nozzle plate on which the nozzle hole is equipped; a depressurizing device; and a controller to control the cap movement mechanism, so that the cap moves relative to the nozzle plate to a first position at which the cap air-tightly seals a region of the nozzle plate including at least the nozzle hole, and moves relative to the nozzle plate to a second position at which the cap contacts the nozzle plate to generate a gap between a lip portion of the cap and the nozzle plate, wherein the depressurizing device operates to depressurize a space covered by the cap, when the cap is positioned at the first position, and the depressurizing device operates, when the cap is positioned at the second position.
(2) The mechanism of item 1, wherein the cap movement mechanism moves the cap relative to the nozzle plate to the first position at which the cap covers a region of the nozzle plate including all nozzle holes equipped on the nozzle plate.
(3) The mechanism of item 1, wherein the cap movement mechanism moves the cap relative to the nozzle plate to the first position at which the nozzle plate and the cap air-tightly contact each other without any gaps.
(4) The mechanism of item 1, wherein the cap movement mechanism comprises an urging section, the controller controls the urging section, so that the urging section urges the cap against the nozzle plate with a first urging force to position the cap at the first position, and the urging section urges the cap against the nozzle plate with a second urging force, being smaller than the first urging force, to position the cap at the second position.
(5) The mechanism of item 4, wherein the urging section comprises a first urging member and a second urging member having a urging force greater than that of the first urging member, and the controller controls the first urging member and the second urging member, so that both the first urging member and the second urging member urge the cap against the nozzle plate to position the cap at the first position, and only the first urging member urges the cap against the nozzle plate to position the cap at the second position.
(6) An ink-jet printer, comprising: an ink-jetting head having a nozzle plate equipped with nozzle holes, through which an ink stored in an ink chamber is emitted; a cap to cover at least one of the nozzle holes of the ink-jetting head; a cap movement mechanism to move the cap relative to the nozzle plate; a depressurizing device; and a controller to control the cap movement mechanism, so that the cap moves relative to the nozzle plate to a first position at which the cap air-tightly seals a region of the nozzle plate including at least one of the nozzle holes, and moves relative to the nozzle plate to a second position at which the cap contacts the nozzle plate to generate a gap between a lip portion of the cap and the nozzle plate, wherein the depressurizing device operates to depressurize a space covered by the cap, when the cap is positioned at the first position, and the depressurizing device operates, when the cap is positioned at the second position.
(7) The ink-jet printer of item 6, wherein the cap movement mechanism moves the cap relative to the nozzle plate to the first position at which the cap covers a region of the nozzle plate including all nozzle holes equipped on the nozzle plate.
(8) The ink-jet printer of item 6, wherein the cap movement mechanism moves the cap relative to the nozzle plate to the first position at which the nozzle plate and the cap air-tightly contact each other without any gaps.
(9) The ink-jet printer of item 6, wherein the cap movement mechanism comprises an urging section, the controller controls the urging section, so that the urging section urges the cap against the nozzle plate with a first urging force to position the cap at the first position, and the urging section urges the cap against the nozzle plate with a second urging force, being smaller than the first urging force, to position the cap at the second position.
(10) The ink-jet printer of item 9, wherein the urging section comprises a first urging member and a second urging member having a urging force greater than that of the first urging member, and the controller controls the first urging member and the second urging member, so that both the first urging member and the second urging member urge the cap against the nozzle plate to position the cap at the first position, and only the first urging member urges the cap against the nozzle plate to position the cap at the second position.
(11) The ink-jet printer of item 6, wherein a surface of a part of the cap opposite the nozzle plate is hydrophilic for the ink.
(12) A cap, utilized for covering an ink-jetting head which includes a nozzle plate equipped with a nozzle hole from which ink-particles are emitted, comprising: a base body, moving relative to the ink-jetting head; and a lip portion, formed on a circumferential edge area of the base body, for air-tightly sealing a space between the nozzle plate and the base body by its elastic deformation, when the cap is strongly compressed to the nozzle plate, and having such a shape that at least one of gap is generated between the nozzle plate and the lip portion by its elastic deformation, when the cap is weakly pressed to the nozzle plate.
(13) The cap of item 12, wherein the shape of the lip portion is a wave-shape.
(14) The cap of item 12, wherein the lip portion has such the shape that at least a part of the lip portion is formed in a concave-shape.
(15) The cap of item 12, wherein the lip portion is formed in substantially a rectangular shape, and has such the shape that at least a edge of its long side is formed in a concave-shape.
(16) The cap of item 12, wherein a surface of a part of the cap opposite the nozzle plate is hydrophilic for the ink-particles.
Further, to overcome the abovementioned problems, other methods, mechanisms, ink-jet printers and caps, embodied in the present invention, will be described as follow.
(17) A method for recovering ink-jetting head, characterized in that: in the ink-jetting head recovering method in which a lip portion of the cap utilized for sucking nozzles, covers the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface of the ink-jetting head, which emits ink-particles directly sticking on a recording sheet, and at least air bubbles or dusts are discharged from the head nozzle holes by depressurizing the space covered with the lip portion to recover the ink-jetting head; an air-tight space is formed between the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface and the cap by compressing the lip portion of the cap onto the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface, and the air-tight space is depressurized to discharge at least air bubbles or dusts remaining in the ink-jetting head, and, further, the lip portion is contacted or approached to the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface to form a gap between the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface and at least a part of the lip portion, and a space, formed between the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface and the cap, is depressurized to discharge at least ink-particles stuck on the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface.
(18) A mechanism for recovering ink-jetting head, characterized in that: in the ink-jetting head recovering mechanism in which a lip portion of the cap utilized for sucking nozzles, covers the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface of the ink-jetting head, which emits ink-particles directly sticking on a recording sheet, and at least air bubbles or dusts are discharged from the head nozzle holes by depressurizing the space covered with the lip portion to recover the ink-jetting head; the mechanism is provided with a first covering means for air-tightly covering the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface and the cap utilized for sucking nozzles, by compressing the lip portion of the cap onto the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface; a second covering means for covering the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface and the cap utilized for sucking nozzles, by letting the lip portion contact or approach the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface and by forming a gap between the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface and at least a part of the lip portion; and a depressurizing means for depressurizing a space surrounded by the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface and the cap utilized for sucking nozzles by means of the first covering means or the second covering means, wherein at least air bubbles or dusts, remaining in the ink-jetting head, are discharged from the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface, and, further, at least ink-particles, stuck on at least the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface, are discharged to recover the ink-jetting head.
(19) A cap utilized for sucking nozzles, characterized in that: in the cap utilized for sucking nozzles, which covers the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface of the ink-jetting head, so as to discharge at least air bubbles or dusts in the ink-jetting head by depressurizing the surface equipped with head nozzle holes, which emits ink-particles, or its peripheral surface, in order to recover the ink-jetting head; a shape of a lip portion of the cap, utilized for sucking nozzles, is such a shape that the cap air-tightly seals the lip portion of the cap and the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface with its elastic deformation by strongly compressing the cap to the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface, and is such a shape that at least one of gap is generated at the lip portion of the cap and the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface with its elastic deformation by weakly pressing the cap to the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface.
(20) A cap utilized for sucking nozzles, characterized in that: in the cap utilized for sucking nozzles, which covers the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface of the ink-jetting head, so as to discharge at least air bubbles or dusts in the ink-jetting head by depressurizing the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface, which emits ink-particles; a material of cap utilized for sucking nozzles or the surface opposite the ink-jetting head has a hydrophilic property for the ink used.
(21) A cap utilized for sucking nozzles, characterized in that: in the cap utilized for sucking nozzles, which covers the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface of the ink-jetting head, so as to discharge at least air bubbles or dusts in the ink-jetting head by depressurizing the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface, which emits ink-particles; a shape of a lip portion of the cap, utilized for sucking nozzles, is such a shape that the cap air-tightly seals the lip portion of the cap and the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface with its elastic deformation by compressing the cap to the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface, and is such a shape that at least one of gap is generated at the lip portion of the cap and the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface with its elastic deformation by pressing the cap to the surface equipped with head nozzle holes or its peripheral surface, and a material of cap utilized for sucking nozzles or the surface opposite the ink-jetting head has a hydrophilic property for the ink used.